Import/export HS code 520420: Retail-packaged cotton sewing thread
Cotton sewing thread sold in ready-to-use retail packages
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 858,097 |
| Germany | 413,986 |
| Pakistan | 103,785 |
| India | 99,170 |
| Turkey | 74,390 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 484,091 | 374,006 | -110,085 |
| Germany | 178,710 | 235,276 | +56,566 |
| Pakistan | 51,971 | 51,814 | -157 |
| India | 36,787 | 62,383 | +25,596 |
| Turkey | 72,008 | 2,382 | -69,626 |
| Netherlands | 32,036 | 34,350 | +2,314 |
| United States | 24,698 | 38,780 | +14,082 |
| South Africa | 28,392 | 7,769 | -20,623 |
| Hungary | 23,878 | 0 | -23,878 |
| France | 10,119 | 5,027 | -5,092 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 865,350 |
| Turkey | 251,379 |
| Greece | 187,129 |
| India | 110,219 |
| Pakistan | 107,992 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 485,165 | 380,185 | -104,980 |
| Turkey | 72,008 | 179,371 | +107,363 |
| Greece | 150,684 | 36,445 | -114,239 |
| India | 36,787 | 73,432 | +36,645 |
| Pakistan | 56,178 | 51,814 | -4,364 |
| United States | 19,722 | 35,845 | +16,123 |
| Netherlands | 23,849 | 20,161 | -3,688 |
| Italy | 26,348 | 14,495 | -11,853 |
| South Africa | 28,392 | 7,769 | -20,623 |
| Czechia | 11,314 | 14,948 | +3,634 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 |
| West Midlands | 5 |
| Essex | 4 |
| Inner London - East | 4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| West Midlands | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Essex | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Inner London - East | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 4 | 2 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 4 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 761,796 |
| Air transport | 560,745 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 410,236 |
| Other | 100,514 |
| Road transport | 5,523 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 383,314 | 378,482 | -4,832 |
| Air transport | 317,132 | 243,613 | -73,519 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 179,695 | 230,541 | +50,846 |
| Other | 94,744 | 5,770 | -88,974 |
| Road transport | 4,294 | 1,229 | -3,065 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 308,412 |
| Felixstowe | 280,583 |
| Birmingham Airport | 250,423 |
| Southampton | 167,514 |
| Liverpool Docks | 148,559 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 124,417 | 183,995 | +59,578 |
| Felixstowe | 148,583 | 132,000 | -16,583 |
| Birmingham Airport | 146,428 | 103,995 | -42,433 |
| Southampton | 119,006 | 48,508 | -70,498 |
| Liverpool Docks | 27,150 | 121,409 | +94,259 |
| 000 | 94,744 | 5,770 | -88,974 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 59,324 | 32,122 | -27,202 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 48,210 | 40,444 | -7,766 |
| 499 | 32,187 | 43,539 | +11,352 |
| East Midlands Airport | 29,725 | 33,468 | +3,743 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 24 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 18 |
| Manufacture of textiles | 4 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 3 |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 2 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 7 |
| 2025-10 | 10 |
| 2025-09 | 8 |
| 2025-08 | 7 |
| 2025-07 | 8 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| GROVES OF THAME LIMITED | 71 |
| KORBOND INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 55 |
| HABICO LIMITED | 43 |
| TINYYO LIMITED | 36 |
| OVERSEAS TRADING LIMITED | 30 |
| EUROPEAN QUILTING SUPPLIES LIMITED | 29 |
| HAIR ORNAMENTS UK LIMITED | 26 |
| POUNDLAND LIMITED | 25 |
| THE WORKS STORES LIMITED | 23 |
| ANCIENT WISDOM MARKETING LIMITED | 20 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 29 |
| 54m+ | 10 |
| 0-1m | 9 |
| 15m-54m | 8 |
| Other | 2 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Italy | 56,602 |
| France | 34,672 |
| Poland | 27,865 |
| Ireland | 25,102 |
| North Macedonia | 23,925 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 16,834 | 39,768 | +22,934 |
| France | 15,739 | 18,933 | +3,194 |
| Poland | 10,141 | 17,724 | +7,583 |
| Ireland | 9,096 | 16,006 | +6,910 |
| North Macedonia | 0 | 23,925 | +23,925 |
| Germany | 13,555 | 8,019 | -5,536 |
| Spain | 12,373 | 8,202 | -4,171 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 5,040 | 14,894 | +9,854 |
| United States | 12,999 | 2,240 | -10,759 |
| Belgium | 11,284 | 0 | -11,284 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 9,159 |
| XI | 6,189 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,656 | 7,503 | +5,847 |
| XI | 6,189 | 0 | -6,189 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 214,997 |
| Air transport | 76,325 |
| Other | 15,348 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,764 |
| Road transport | 883 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 79,100 | 135,897 | +56,797 |
| Air transport | 42,971 | 33,354 | -9,617 |
| Other | 7,845 | 7,503 | -342 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,052 | 4,712 | +3,660 |
| Road transport | 883 | 0 | -883 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 149,427 |
| Dover | 49,531 |
| East Midlands Airport | 39,029 |
| ZLC | 22,412 |
| 000 | 15,348 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 65,868 | 83,559 | +17,691 |
| Dover | 10,887 | 38,644 | +27,757 |
| East Midlands Airport | 30,551 | 8,478 | -22,073 |
| ZLC | 5,923 | 16,489 | +10,566 |
| 000 | 7,845 | 7,503 | -342 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 3,371 | 6,308 | +2,937 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,094 | 6,569 | +5,475 |
| Holyhead | 1,251 | 5,829 | +4,578 |
| London Stansted Airport | 4,009 | 2,079 | -1,930 |
| London Gateway Port | 0 | 1,764 | +1,764 |
Quick facts
HS code: 520420
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Cotton sewing thread sold in ready-to-use retail packages